Victoria Azarenka recounted first speaking to
Emma Raducanu and her overnight success in winning the US Open as well as related her need to have no 'Yes Men' in her camp that tell her what she wants to hear.
The former World No.1 spoke as part of Up Front with Simon Jordan about a myriad of topics and with Jordan being a Brit himself, he asked in particular about Raducanu and her sudden rise.
"I met Emma on WhatsApp. The agent reached out, there is this young girl who wanted to ask for some advice and talk to you. I said of course, it was Covid time. We talked for an hour and she said she had some injuries and she was looking forward to coming to the tour. I don't remember what I said," said Azarenka.
"We talked, It was great. She sent me email after and then Wimbledon 2021, I hear this name Raducanu. I looked back at my email, 'OMG that was her?."
"It was really cool and then she won the US Open. What I noticed at that time was everybody was grabbing onto her like she's their friend. I was like you probably didn't know her a month ago, nobody knew her. It felt not real."
But with her, she personally hates hypocrisy and many believe that Raducanu was almost pillaged during that time with Jordan saying himself that he found is disconcerting seeing her at the Met Gala and other events and almost being thrown around as a puppet.
"From my experience, you need to have a very, very small circle. Very, very solid one that has your best interests at heart. Truth is important. Everyone I work with I say 'no bulls*** please, don't tell me what I want to hear'. I hate hypocrisy and I hate two-faced people."